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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 5024035" data-attributes="member: 58197">A skill challenge is essentially a planned and structured version of that. At least that's how I think of it. It may or may not follow the model laid out in the DMG - often my skill challenges are more along the "timed challenge" line, with the PCs taking cumulative hits of some sort until they beat the challenge.Cross-posted from the thread on cold-weather monsters, here's a typical skill challenge in my game, for PCs trying to survive a journey across an arctic wasteland:Skill challenge: Trek across the frozen wastes. At the end of each day, each character must make an Endurance check or lose a healing surge. Any character who is out of surges loses hit points equal to his or her surge value instead. Anyone reduced to zero hit points by this effect freezes to death in the night. Surges and hit points lost in this way are not recovered until the PCs are able to take an extended rest someplace warm.In addition, each PC can attempt one additional skill check per day: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Perception: Find a sheltered place to camp (+2 to everyone's Endurance checks for that day).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Nature: Help the party make better time (add one-third to the distance covered that day).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Athletics: Break trail for the rest of the party (+2 to everyone else's Endurance and Nature checks for that day).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Healing: Help a weakened companion survive the cold (+6 to one other PC's Endurance check for that day).</li> </ul>No matter how many skill checks are made, each of the above benefits can be gained only once a day for the entire party. (However, Healing can be used on more than one character.)At various points in the journey, there would be combat encounters, breaking up the monotony of endless skill checks and adding a little bite to those lost healing surges.</blockquote>

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